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I didn't realize until today that this was the place to post new work. I'm going on Friday to finalize the entire sleeve(at least that's the hope). We'll be filling in all the background that wasn't finished yet and then go over the entire piece to add highlights and really make it pop. So far, this is what's been done: https://instagram.com/p/yaAYr2Ry_X/ (This was 3 appointments, I just didn't want to throw a bunch of pictures in, mostly finished top half of the sleeve, there are still some sections that need to be finished). Started work on the bottom half, finished most of the lioness(about 70% done) in one sitting: And finally, about 2 weeks ago we did the inner forearm piece, the cubs: I'm so fucking happy with how the whole sleeve turned out. One more to go on Friday and I should be all set. I can't wait to post a shot of the entire sleeve, finished and healed.

I haven't gotten tattooed in like 5 years... Well, in a local shop started a new artist. Young cool dude, just over twenty, been tattooing for 3 + years or something. I thought that fuck it, he has some potential, I will get tattooed because its time. I first was going to get a chest piece, just a compass rose. But, Murphy's law struck and got a horrible shave rash in my chest. When I went to the shop, we mulled it over and decided not to tattoo the chest. I remembered he had a Bill Hicks drawing and in 5 minutes we decided to do the late great American Rebel who I have been a fan for about 10 years. He loves to do stuff like this, so I just let him do what he wanted and choose the picture he wanted. Have fun with it. Its now about week old. We will expand it to a sleeve and then start another sleeve. Next up is Carl Sagan. https://instagram.com/lekkeri_wct/ If you can guess what part of his act its from, 10 points! We weren't shure and I checked, well, funny shit ;)

Good luck in the contest. Not sure how you'll place because there is so much random shit that shows up. Some dude with a crazy traditional Japanese deity back could come in and bump you from the rankings, ain't that right @SeeSea? :P

Greg's books is in prefect condition. The prices range from 350-500$ in the internet, but willing to sell a lot cheaper. Make an offer. Grimes book is read few times over, has little signs of use in the hardcover, in the edges, all the pages are pretty much new. This I can sell for 120$. I can post pics if needed.

So my artist today approach me and ask me if I could go to the Galveston "Texas Ink and Art" Convention and he will finish my tattoo there and if I didn't mind to submit my tattoo for the back contest. He wanted me to think about it and go by the shop today at 9PM and talk to him about it. I am super excited... I think I am going to do it... Just not sure how this all works... I am a bit nervous about it.

So, looks like myself and my better half have made the decision to get married and we're strongly looking at doing the deed in Vegas. The (initial) plan for our honeymoon would be to do a road trip across the States for approx 2 months afterwards. A rough itinerary would be as follows: Vegas > San Fran > Colorado > Texas > Louisiana > Alabama > Mississippi > Tennessee and the on to NYC/Boston/Chicago for flight home. Obviously, mind has immediately locked into 'Tattoo Road Trip' mode and I'm thinking of the various artists etc that I could hit up when I'm there. If we were to take that route, what shops/artists would be along that trail? I follow quite a few but, being from Ireland, remembering where all these guys are based is a struggle! Off the top of my head, a few guys I would like to stick on 'the list' Stefan Johnsson - San Francisco Steve Byrne - Austin Tony Hundahl - Austin Chad K - Austin? Oliver Peck - Dallas Derek Billingsley - Nashville AJ Lingerfeld - NC New York - the list is endless! Chicago - the guys at Great Lakes Feel free to bombard me with names/places/suggestions!! Thanks all, Paddy

haven't been here for a while here's some recent stuff (sorry this post is probably gonna be long...) i got really into painting thorns and puddles i guess

Looks like Ed Hardy is going to be at the London convention again this year! http://instagram.com/p/050NHnivGU/

Stop in Arizona (Mesa, which is a suburb of Phoenix) at Immaculate Tattoo. It's an amazing shop.

I just wrote and essay about tattooing ("Turning point of tattoo art in the 1970's". Direct translation from finnish) for my art history studies in University. It is a topic that has been gaining "popularity" in recent years, so I think this type of thing (lectures etc) will be happening more and more in the future.

Damn, whatever photo hosting service @Iwar put that up on is blocked at work. I'll have to check when I get home. I stare at @Eilin's Conn cat lady more than I care to admit. Such an incredible tattoo. I wish I could get to LA to get tattooed by him.

If you're trying to do traditional style flash, I think you need to start using way thicker lines. Also limiting your color range a bit. Pick something classic, like skulls, devils, roses, snakes, banners etc, and do about four to six variations on it, while keeping in the same artistic style (i.e. all traditional, all japanese). Sticking to a theme makes it easier to get your art across I think. Also, not an artist myself, just throwing out what I've seen on parlor walls.

I totally agree with that. My first tattoo was the book cover of the catcher in the rye. It's not my favorite, but the first one opens your eyes to tattoos and what it means to have a tattoo. I think ying yangs are over popularized, but the idea behind them is pretty cool.

I wish more people would post what they ended up getting. I'd love to see people from here influence the general public into getting a good solid tattoo. It's kinda like getting a healed picture

it wasn't too bad although it feels like I'm constantly falling on my left knee. Its a black cat so what did I expect. :p

Taking a trip down to LA to get tattooed by Shon Lindauer at High Seas Tattoo Parlor in Hollywood. The trip will be April 18th - 20th. If anyone has recommendations for restaurants in the area, they're more than welcome. Also, if anyone wants to meet up in LA, shoot me a pm. Would be cool to meet some more LSTers for tacos or something. Heard a lot about LA's Mexican food.

- - - Updated - - - I take terrible photos. She looks much nicer in real life ;)

Booked up for back piece session number 3 with Marius Meyer on the 19th of May, also managed to snag an appointment with Morten Transeth the day before. Gonna be a good trip!

First one since June (aside from a little Halloween special). Matt Arriola.

Not baby related (but congrats, everyone)... Got this rainy dude from Tron last week when she was at Atlas in Portland. Awesome experience and glad to fill this weirdo spot on my leg.

Fundamentally, I believe that learning about tattoos and tattooing is something that should primarily be done through the experience of getting tattooed, hanging out in tattoo shops, talking with tattooers and tattooed people. I think there's something really important--maybe even integral--about the way that knowledge and history in tattooing is primarily transmitted orally, that things are passed on person to person and that everybody is going to have his or her own idiosyncratic views of tattooing rooted in his or her own direct experience. I loathe the idea that this wonderful, messy thing called tattoo could be broken down into a curriculum with learning outcomes or whatever bullshit that university administrators want out of courses these days so that undergraduates could take it for three easy credits. I am skeptical that tattooing has anything to gain from it being offered as a course to college or university or art students; it seems like it has far more to lose than it can possibly gain. I'm not saying that academics can't contribute anything to tattoos (I think most of them do a pretty poor job, but my objections aren't just that we need somebody to do it better), but it's something that should mostly stay in the shop and with the people who actually have something invested in tattoos. That's my opinion, anyway, and opinions are like assholes.

Eddy Deutsche cover/blastover from a couple of weeks ago in Oslo (Marius Meyer studio). It was such a fun day, so cool! Also met the legend Carson Vester. He told us some crazy stories! Who said he had lost it? New: Old:

I really hope that they don't go far past the early stages. College courses about tattoos and tattooing are a terrible idea.

Met with Carlos Torres in Paris after the convention to finish this little side piece. Fuck me this did really really hurt!

@Mark Bee you can't seem to go wrong at The Pearl! Love seeing your already impressive collection grow. - - - Updated - - - I can't believe I haven't posted these here! I got my butt snake colored in at the beg of feb. Basically I got home from my tattoo trip, and my dog had a big sudden health issue that had to be dealt with STAT! So I didn't even think about it. Pics attached. I'm booked for more at the beg of Apr too!

i flew out to london over the weekend and got this from lee knight:

This is my frontpiece by Marius Meyer. We finished it about a year ago. Two sessions and a total of seven hours if I remember correctly.

It's been a while, but I just recently got back to reading the forum and looking at what other people are posting as far as new work. By way of jumping back in, it seemed like posting what I've been up to since I last participated in this thread is the right way to go. This might be a bit of a long one. Sorry. Sometimes you're in New Orleans. Sometimes you end up with a butterfly. Brent at Uptown Tattoo did this one: Jake Miller from Cathedral Tattoo in Salt Lake did this little ditch guy for me: I did a bit of a run of appointments at Great Lakes Tattoo. Erik did this one: Nick did this one: And Matt did this one on my calf: Javier Rodriguez at LTW in Barcelona made this crazy tiger head for me: John Raftery, who is also at Cathedral in Salt Lake now, did this snake while he was still in New York at Fun City: Ben Haft at Fun City did the tops of both of my thighs with a sinking ship and a rose of no man's land: And finally, Mike Suarez at Hand of Glory in Brooklyn was able to squeeze me in on Saturday and do this on my shin: I picked up a few little bits of filler here and there, too. Next up is getting my left knee done, I think. All of this has really just motivated me to start thinking about back/chestpieces. Further down the rabbit hole.

Two from about a year ago: Watercolor pens, water, ink and paintbrush, some marker. A4-sized

few more split sheet with Handsome Jake couple of new efforts

Oh yeah... then I want TWO...

I don't know what a fuck off eagle is, but I want one.

Great advice all round already. I have this hunch you'll be wanting to tattoo heavily. Think big and ways that your images will contribute to suiting / sleeve out. A big fuck off eagle in flight (yes I'm biased to this idea, but for a reason...they're cool as fuck), a dragon, which can engulf a whole limb with its body work, scale pattern and shit. Even that cross on your delt, you could incorporate a half sleeve of a Viking theme...warriors, rune tablets, castles... You get the drift. Anyway, just off the top of me head. Your in the right place here for inspiration. Good luck!! [emoji106] "Booze, Blues & Tattoos"

This is most of the collection. A few are not shown but nothing major.

Have not had to much time for painting lately, trying to paint more often.

Ed Hardy's TattooTime - Re-release - HM Tattooing the Invisible Man (DETH) - HM Tattoo City - HM Sailor Jerry Collins - American Tattoo Master - HM In a World of Compromise... I Don't - Bob Roberts (signed 720/1000). Forever the New Tattoo Tattooing From Japan to the West Tattooing New York City: Style and Continuity in a Changing Art Form Japanese Style Tattoo Art - Revisiting Traditional Themes - R. Melo I Love Tattoos Andon 87 - Japan Tattoo - Tattoos in Japanese Prints Underway is the Only Way - Grime/Taki Two Year Autopsy - Grime Iron Will - Grime Tattoo Artist Magazine 1-5, Volume One. Tattoo Artist: A Collection of Narratives Revisited: A Tribute to Flash From the Past Norske Sjømannstatoveringer / Norwegian Sailors' Tattoos Dansk Tatovering / Danish Tattooing These Old Blue Arms - The Life & Work of Amund Dietzel These Old Blue Arms - The Life & Work of Amund Dietzel, VOL 2. 1000 Tattoos - Hanky Panky Vintage Tattoos - The Book of Old-School Skin Art Tatttoos - JK5 HORIYOSHI III - The Art of the Japanese Tattoo/Japansk tatueringskonst Others: The Shunga (a japanese book with Shunga prints). Tattoo Nation (the Movie) - DVD Have just ordered and waiting for the "MICK" book by Alex Reinke and "Gods and Warriors": Horimana - The Work of Chris Trevino

I've been meaning to take account of all my books. This was as good an excuse as anytime to figure it out. I think this covers it, but it's likely I have a couple more hiding somewhere. Mostly Japanese stuff (big surprise, right?). Some are quality. Some are academic. A couple are meh. Mostly good though. I think anyways, but I need to fill in some gaps that should be a part of any collection. Tattoo Related: -Full Coverage: NSK Collective -Bloodwork: Bodies (Analog) -Iron Will (Grime) -Two Year Autopsy (Grime) -The Fingerwave Book (Grime) -Scott Campbell: If You Don't Belong. Don't be Long -Tattooed By "The Family Business" (that one put out by Mo Cappoletta's shop) -Bunshin: Tattoo Art By Horihito -Bunshin II: Japanese Traditional Tattoo, Horitsune II, Dragon & Kannon -Horitoshi I Storia Dell'Irezumi (Robert Borsi) -Japanese Tattoo Designs: Ichibay (Luke Atkinson) -Shige (Hardcover) (pub. State of Grace, Inc) -Shige (softcover) (pub. State of Grace, Inc) -Tattooing From Japan To The West (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Bushido: Legacies of The Japanese Tattoo (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Tattoos Of The Floating World: Ukiyo-e Motifs In The Japanese Tattoo (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Studying Horiyoshi III: A Westerner's Journey Into Japanese Tattoo (Jill Mandelbaum (Bonny)(Horiyuki)) -Underway Is the Only Way (Grime & Horitaka) -Tattoo Artist: A Colletion Of Narratives (Jill Mandelbaum (Bonny) (Horiyuki)) -Fudo Myo-o Tattoo Design by Horitomo -Monmon Cats (Kazuaki Kitamura (Horitomo)) -I <3 Tattoos (Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka)) -Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World -Horiyoshi III (Grime & Horitaka) -Sketches of Horiyoshi III (pub. State of Grace, Inc) -Legacy: The Horiyoshi III Tradition (Juan Puente) -Japan's Tattoo Arts Horiyoshi's World 2 -100 Demons of Horiyoshi III -58 Musha By Horiyoshi III -Wanzakure: The Road To Shisei (by Horiyoshi III) -Denotwaza (on Nakamura Toshikazu) (Alek Reinke/Matti Sedholm) -Those 3 Japanese Masters Books The Red one. The Black one. The Blue one. (Japanese Pub) -Backpiece Tattoo II (Japanese Pub) -Backpiece Tattoo III (Japanese Pub) -Tattoo In Japan (That thick hardcover one by Edition Reuss) -Horikazu (Edition Reuss) -Wabori, Traditional Japanese Tattoo -Japanese Tattooing Now: Memory & Transition (that tan colored book from around 2001ish) -A History of Japanese Body Suit Tattooing -Tokyo Tattoo 1970 -Mau Moko: The world of Maori Tattoo -Sacred Skin - Thailand 's Spirit Tattoos -The Mammoth Book of Tattoos (Lal Hardy) -Tattoo World (Marisa Kokoulas/Michael Kaplan) Tattoo Reference: -Of Brigands and Bravery (108 Heroes of the Suikoden) (Kuniyoshi) -The Faithful Samurai (47 Ronin) (Kuniyoshi) -Heroes of the Grand Pacification (Kuniyoshi) (come to think of it, I actually gave that one to Jill Bonny as "thank you" one session, so I need to get another copy) -Kuniyoshi: From The Arthur R. Miller Collection -Samurai, Stars of the Stage, and Beautiful Women: Kunisada and Kuniyoshi Masters of the Color Woodblock Print -Art of Armor: Samurai Armor From the Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection -Memoir: Tattooed Portaits Series (Shawn Barber) -Time Present & Time Past Images of a Forgotten Master (on Kunichika) -Hokusai Manga -The Secret of Noh Masks -A Japanese publication on, Tsuyoshi Nagano, a contemporary artist who paints a lot of samurai motifs -A few more Japanese publications. 1 on Kyosai, 2 on Yoshitoshi, and probably 4 more on Kuniyoshi (Can't read Japanese so don't know their names) - - - Updated - - - Nice looking collection going on there. I zoomed in for a closer look and thought, "oh I want that one and that one over there too!". And @ironchef, how's the wenren book? I'm tempted to order it if they are still available.

haven't posted much lately but here's one i painted last night.

I'm a little biased on this one, but I work with a kid named Adam Warmerdam who draws and paints some pretty ladies